Bath tubs



Nov, 18, 1958 o. BLoMQvls-r BATH TUBS Filed Oct. 30, 1956 Fig. 3

United States Patent O BATH TUBS 011e Blomqvist, Stockholm, Sweden Application October 30, A1956, Serial No. 619,264

Claims priority, application Sweden November 15, 1955 7 Claims. (Cl. 4--177) The present invention relates to a collapsible bath tub which is particularly suited for bathing sick or disabled persons.

When washing and bathing persons who are cornpletely or partly disabled it has always been Very difficult to move the patient -into and out of a bath tub of conventional construction. To facilitate such movements various types of devices have been constructed which mostly consist of hydraulic or electrically operated patient lifts, in most vcases with baskets or the like as aids. When such devices are utilized, the patient will first be lifted to the basket from his bed and thereupon with the aid of the lifting device be lowered into and lifted out of the bathtub.

The object of the present invention is to obviate these disadvantages. This object is achieved in accordance with the present invention by the provision of a collapsible bathtub, which consists wholly of rubber, synthetic plastic, impregnated fabric or similar flexible material and which at its upper circumference is secured to two rigid bars extending longitudinally of the bathtub, said bars being adapted to be retained or locked in their upper positions and forming a frame, optionally in conjunction with two rigid bars extending transversely of the bathtub. In accordance with this invention at least one of the bars extending longitudinally of the bathtub is adapted to be lowered to a level at or below the level of the bottom of the bathtub to permit transference of the patient to the bathtub from a trolley or the like in the same or approximately the same plane as the top support of the trolley whilst the bottom of the bathtub is attached to or adapted to rest on a supporting surface forming a firm support for the patient, particularly when the patient is transfered to the bathtub.

An embodiment of the novel bathtub is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures l to 3 show the bathtub in elevation, plan view and cross-section along line I-l in Figure l, respectively.

The bathtub comprises a stand 1, a supporting surface 2 and a frame 3 on which the cloth 4 forming the bathtub proper is attached. On the frame 3 there are attached a pair of U-shaped members 5, by means of which the frame 3 may be lowered so as to be at the same level as the supporting surface 2 on which the bathtub bottom rests. Lifting and lowering of the frame 3 is achieved by means of four levers 6 and the weight 7. Around the lower portion of the bathtub there is arranged an auxiliary supporting frame 8 which by means of the levers 9 is movably connected to the stand 1. The levers 9 are attached in pairs to actuating rods 10. When the bathtub is to be used, the frame 3 is lirst lowered with the aid of the lever system 6 which is balanced by the weight 7, so that the frame 3 arrives in the position designated 11 in Figure l, the bathtub cloth 4 occupying the position shown at 12 in Figure 1.

By lifting the actuating rod on one side of the bathtub, the supporting frame 8 on the opposite side will be Mice lowered so that it occupies the position designated 13 in Figure 3. The patient is then moved over from the trolley the top support of which is in the same or substantially the same plane as the supporting surface 2. When the patient has been moved over to the bottom of the bathtub, the supporting frame 8 is raised by depressing the actuating rod at the opposite side of the bathtub. Thereupon, the frame 3 is raised to its top position where it is locked whereby the bathtub is returned to its initial form, as shown in Figure 2, whereupon water is filled in the tub.

When the bath is ended, the water must iirst be drained from the tub through the bottom outlet 14 (Figure 2), before the frame 3 can be lowered again.

i claim:

1. A collapsible bathtub comprising an open frame, a flexible and collapsible tub mounted on and suspended from the frame and adapted to contain a quantity of water and support the body of a user, a supporting means, means mounting the frame on said supporting means for vertical movement toward and away from the supporting means so as to selectively lower the tub into a collapsed position and raise it into an open position and means retaining the frame in a raised or lowered position relative to the frame, a rigid plate completely underlying and supporting the bottom of the tub and fixed on the supporting means, said mounting means including levers pivoted on the frame and on the supporting means and said retaining means including a weight carried by the levers and movable above and below the pivot points of the levers on the supporting means.

2. A collapsible bathtub comprising an open frame, a flexible and collapsible tub mounted on and suspended from the frame and adapted to contain a quantity of water and support the body of a user, a supporting means, means mounting the frame on said supporting means for vertical movement toward and away from the supporting means so as to selectively lower 'the tub into a collapsed position and raise it into an open position and means retaining the frame in a raised or lowered position relative to the frame, said tub having opposing sides, at least one rigid element extending longitudinally alongside one side of the tub on the exterior thereof and disposed above the bottom of the tub and means mounting the element on the supporting means so that it is movable vertically to a position below the bottom of the tub.

3. A collapsible bathtub comprising a supporting stand, an open frame mounted on the stand, levers pivoted to the stand and to the frame for mounting the frame above the stand for movement vertically toward and away from the stand, means operatively connected to the levers for selectively retaining the frame in a raised or lowered position, a liexible and collapsible tub carried by and suspended from the frame and moved thereby into a raised open position and a collapsed lowered position, and a rigid plate completely underlying the bottom of and supporting the bottom of the tub and fixed on the stand.

4. A collapsible bathtub comprising a supporting stand, an open frame mounted on the stand., levers pivoted to the stand and to the frame for mounting the frame above the stand for movement vertically toward and away from the stand, means operatively connected to the levers for selectively retaining the frame in a raised or lowered position, a flexible and collapsible tub carried by and suspended from the frame and moved thereby into a raised open position and a collapsed lowered position, and a cradle support underlying the bottom of and supporting the bottom of the tub and fixed on the stand, said tub having opposing sides and rigid elements extending longitudinally of the sides and forming side portions of the cradle support and carried thereby, means mounting at least one of the rigid elements for downward and outward movement to a point at least level with the bottom of the tub so as to assist in the placement of disabled patients into the collapsed tub.

5. A collapsible bathtub comprising a supporting stand, an open frame including longitudinal side bars, a supporting means for the frame carried by the stand to dispose the frame above the stand, a flexible and collapsible tub mounted on and suspended from the frame and adapted to contain a quantity of water and support the body of `a user, a rigid plate completely underlying the bottom of the tub and xed to the supporting stand and on which the bottom rests and means mounting the supporting means so that the side bars of the frame can be lowered from a raised position, in which-the tub is fully extended and opened, `into a lowered position sub stantially level with the rigid plate, in which latter-position the tub is collapsed and a user can be moved into and from the tub.

6. A collapsible bathtub comprising a supporting stand, an open frame including longitudinal side bars, a supporting means for the frame carried by the stand to dispose the frame above the stand, a flexible and collapsible tub mounted on and ysuspended from the frame and adapted to contain a quantity of water and support the body of a user, a rigid plate completely underlying the bottom of the tub and xed to the supporting stand and on which the bottom rests and means mounting the supporting means so that the side bars of the frame can be lowered from a raised position, in which the tub is fully extended and opened, into a lowered position substantially level with the rigid plate, in which latter position the tub is collapsed and a user can be moved into and from the tub, and an auxiliary framework on each side of the tub normally disposed slightly above the rigid plate and means mounting it for vertical movement rela tive to the rigid plate.

7. A collapsible bathtub comprising a supporting stand, an open frame including longitudinal side bars, a supporting means for the frame carried by the stand to dispose the frame above the stand, a flexible and collapsible tub mounted on and suspended from the frame and adapted to contain a quantity of water and support the body of a user, a rigid plate completely underlying the bottom of the tub and xed to the supporting stand and on which the bottom rests and means mounting the supporting means so thatthe sidewbars of the frame can be lowered from a raised position, in which the tub is fully extended and opened, into a lowered position substantially level with the rigid plate, in which latter position the tub is collapsed and a user can be moved into and from the tub, said rigid plate being slightly curved upwardly in transverse cross-section and having a flexible upper surface.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

